Illegal dumping drains funds from Alice Volunteer Services food aid

Mattresses and other rejected items left at Alice Volunteer Services have turned into a costly drain on a pantry that feeds Jim Wells County families, forcing the nonprofit to pay for hauling and repairs instead of groceries. Donald Anderson said the problem has repeated over the course of a year, and one recent dumping incident broke a water pipe, leaving the organization with repair bills and a higher-than-normal water bill.

That money matters because Alice Volunteer Services is not a large operation with room to absorb extra costs. The food pantry serves anywhere from 75 to 200 families in Jim Wells County each week, and on a busy day it can be feeding nearly 200 families. It is staffed by about 15 volunteers per day, and the pantry says its annual food bill is about $90,000. With its relationship to the Coastal Bend Food Bank, the nonprofit says it can buy about $7 worth of food for every $1 donated, so even small amounts spent clearing dumped junk can translate into a much larger loss in food for people who rely on the pantry.

The burden is also personal for the people and volunteers who keep the operation running. Isabel Garza said she felt bad for the volunteers because they are trying to help people and instead are forced to deal with trash and damage. Alice Volunteer Services says every donation is meant to go to food assistance for people in Jim Wells County, which is why the cost of cleanup hits so hard: every dollar spent hauling away abandoned items is a dollar that cannot help stock shelves or support struggling households.

The dumping problem has become serious enough that Alice and Jim Wells County moved in November 2025 to create a new plan to combat it. Officials said recent storms and a freeze had made the accumulation of trash and debris worse, and residents could receive a 72-hour notice to correct violations and face fines of up to $500 if they did not comply. City officials also said code enforcement is intended to protect quality of life, health and welfare in the community.

For residents who need to dispose of items properly, the City of Alice landfill requires covered loads and bans appliances, tires, concrete and hazardous materials. City rules allow one free disposal per week for Alice citizens who show a water bill with the garbage fee and proof of residency, and free disposal all day on Saturday. The message from the pantry is simple: keep unwanted items out of its property, because protecting the site helps protect the food aid that so many local families depend on.